Day Dreamer, Hockey Player, & Family Man

     Born and raised in Smithtown, New York, Darren Sardelli is the oldest of five boys. He grew up with a love for all sports, particularly hockey, and the last thing you’d find him doing was reading or writing. Easily distracted and often daydreaming, Darren was a challenging student. Despite the countless trips to the principal’s office, he eventually found his way.

Growing up, English was Darren’s worst and least favorite subject. No one ever thought he’d become a writer, especially him. During his junior year at Loyola University in Maryland, Darren had a POWERFUL DREAM that set him on the path to poetry. Excited and inspired, he grabbed a notebook and wrote a poem for fun. From that moment on, he started writing down his ideas in an IDEA BOOK. He continues this tradition today and now has over 100 idea books. 

Today, Darren Sardelli is a children’s book author and poet known for his humorous rhymes. He travels to schools, globally, inspiring students through poetry assemblies and writing workshops. His poems appear in children’s magazines, school textbooks, and popular children’s books such as Peter, Peter, Pizza Eater (a Scholastic Book List Best Seller), I Hope I Don’t Strike Out (Teachers’ Choice Award), One Minute till Bedtime (Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2016), SCHOOL PEOPLE (Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Finalist), and CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE (Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2020 / An NCTE Notable Poetry Book). When Darren isn’t writing, he loves to play ice and roller hockey, enjoys challenging hikes with his adventurous wife, and has a blast making up silly songs with his two sons. 

FUN FACT: Darren has played ice hockey in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, England, and Ireland. He also coached high school ice hockey for 5 years.